


Beyond The Gates

by bklue18



Category: Actor RPF, American Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-04-02 23:12:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4077385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bklue18/pseuds/bklue18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An award-winning director is about to start on a project to coincide with the complete demolish of a once popular theme park on its 25th anniversary.  The documentary he had planned to do was aimed to understand the tragedy that happened 25 years ago.  But to fully embark on his mission, he requires the help of someone who wants to put the tragedy behind her.</p><p>Documenting is one thing but uncovering the dark secrets behind the tragedy is another.  Will the truth eventually be revealed or will they stay hidden as the park gets demolished?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Pitch

"Hey Brianne."

The dark-haired woman at the reception counter looked up and smiled. "Hey Jasmine! You're back!"

The Asian girl smiled. "Yup. Been back for 2 days."

"How was London?" Brianne asked.  
"Amazing. I took a couple of great shots at the festival." Jasmine replied.  
"It must have been nice.. Hanging out with the musicians.." Brianne said.  
"Yes.. It was. Although I was only hanging out with a couple of musicians.." Jasmine said

Brianne sat up straight and looked at Jasmine with a hopeful expression.

"Did you.."

Jasmine chuckled and reached into her satchel. She pulled out a CD and passed it to Brianne. "Signed by the one and only Paloma Faith."

She let out a squeal and hugged Jasmine. "Thank you so much!"

Jasmine smiled and pat her back lightly. "You're welcome. Enjoy your CD. I've gotta go pass the story to Bradley."

Brianne nodded and immediately let Jasmine go. The Asian girl smiled to herself as she walked through the doors, headed for Bradley's office. As she was just about to open the doors, it flew open and a handsome tall guy with blond hair walked out, nearly colliding with her.

"Oops." He said. "Sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Jasmine shook her head. "Nope. Nearly got to the door handle but you were faster."

He gave her a small smile and turned to Bradley. "So I'll rally up the crew and we'll have the brief for you in no time. It will be a documentary worth watching."

Bradley nodded. "Looking forward to the rough outline, Evans."

"How many times have I told you to call me by my first name?" The blond said. "We're not in college anymore."

"Old habits die hard, Evans." Bradley said. "Anyway, before you go, meet our travel and entertainment feature writer, Jasmine Gregg."

The blond smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Jasmine, meet Chris Evans." He said. "My best friend from college, award-winning director and all around nice guy."

Jasmine smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

She looked at Bradley. "I just need to pass you the story and photos. He doesn't have to leave."

"Oh.. No, it's alright. I was just about to leave." Chris said.  
"But you two look like you were about to head off somewhere together." Jasmine said.  
"I was going to buy him coffee..." Bradley said.

"Then go." Jasmine said. "I'll leave this on your desk."

Bradley smiled. "That would be great. You're the best, Jas."

Jasmine nodded and waved at the two guys as she entered Bradley's office. She pulled out the flash drive from her satchel and placed it in the clear bowl on his desk labeled 'Stories'. Her sister had always wondered how the editor differentiates the flash drives he collects in the bowl. Jasmine said that it was easy. Every writer had their own distinct flash drive. Hers was shaped like a Velociraptor; the gift their dad had custom-made and given to her upon her graduation from NYU.

After leaving Bradley's office, Jasmine was on her way to meet her sister at the local cafe when she spotted Chris standing by the entrance.

"Hey!" He said.

She looked at him. "Hey... Um.. Were you waiting for me?"

"I want to say no but that would be a lie." He replied. "So... Yeah. I have been waiting for you."

"Where's Bradley?" Jasmine asked.  
"He got a call shortly after coming down and he ran straight to the car park." Chris said.

"Probably his model girlfriend." Jasmine said. "Anyway... What can I do for you?"

"Well.. Are you able to spare me some of your time?" Chris asked. "What I'm about to ask you may probably need a better environment as well."

"I'm actually on my way to meet my sister at the cafe over there." She said, pointing to her left. "I could spare you some time till she arrives?"

"That sounds great." Chris said.

* * *

The two of them got a table by the corner and sat down. After the waiter took their orders, Jasmine turned to Chris.

"Alrightie." She said. "So what was it you needed to talk to me about?"

"I was wondering if I could get your help with the documentary I'm making." Chris said.  
"Well.. I'm not really experienced in dealing with filming but I can try." She replied. "What do you need me to do?"  
"I basically need you to help me with recollection." Chris said.

Jasmine frowned a little in confusion. "Recollection? What does that mean?"

"You were a part of this history which I need insight from." He said. "The Fun Kingdom massacre."

Jasmine felt her blood turn cold and her palms start to sweat. She felt invisible walls around her closing in, keeping her trapped in her seat.

"J-Jasmine?" He called out, worried about the reaction he just got.

"How did you-Why are you-"

He was just about to ask her if she was feeling alright when he heard someone shouting next to him.

"What did you ask her?!"

Chris looked up to see a Caucasian brunette glaring at him.

"I-I.."

"I'm going to ask you one more time." She said. "What. Did. You. Ask. Her."

"I was just asking for her help." Chris replied. "With fact-checking The Fun Kingdom Massacre."

"You son-of-a-bitch." She muttered. "Get out of here now or I'll haul your ass out."

Realizing she wasn't joking, Chris immediately leapt out of his seat and looked at Jasmine.

"I'm really sorry if I said anything to offend you in anyway. But if you change your mind, you know how to find me." Chris said.

Not wanting to look at the brunette, Chris hurried out of the cafe wondering where he went wrong. He had been so sure about his research. Figuring they probably made a scene, the brunette turned to face everyone.

"Nothing to see here." She said, flashing her Detective badge from the precinct. "Back to your lives, people."

Once she had done that, she sat down opposite Jasmine, where Chris had been sitting and reached over to hold her hand.

"Hey." She said softly. "Don't go there, Jas."

Jasmine gripped the brunette's hand tightly as she closed her eyes to take a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she saw the brunette looking at her with concern.

"You okay?" She asked.

Jasmine nodded. "You arrived just in time, Sophia.. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there."

"Well... That guy would know first hand what it feels like to be sucker punched by a girl." Sophia replied.

Jasmine laughed a little and Sophia smiled. "There she is. Alright. Let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

She shook her head as her sister raised her hand to get the waiter's attention.


	2. A Loving Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An award-winning director is about to start on a project to coincide with the complete demolish of a once popular theme park on its 25th anniversary. The documentary he had planned to do was aimed to understand the tragedy that happened 25 years ago. But to fully embark on his mission, he requires the help of someone who wants to put the tragedy behind her.
> 
> Documenting is one thing but uncovering the dark secrets behind the tragedy is another. Will the truth eventually be revealed or will they stay hidden as the park gets demolished?

He heard the front door open and hurriedly take off his apron before making his way to the corridor.

"We're home!"

Sophia and Jasmine both looked at their father standing by the corridor and smiled.

"Hi dad." Jasmine said, giving him a hug.

Sophia gave him a hug after Jasmine and the trio walked into the kitchen together.   Jasmine sat at the breakfast bar while her father stood in front of her, keeping an eye on the oven while waiting for the girls to tell him about their day.   Sophia took 2 bottles of apple juice and a bottle of beer from out of the fridge.   She handed the beer to her father and put a bottle of the apple juice in front of   
Jasmine before uncapping the other bottle as she sat next to her sister.

Their father took a swig from the beer bottle and sat it down, looking at his daughters.

"Okay." He said. "What's wrong?"

"Well... Jas got ambushed by someone." Sophia said.

He frowned and hurried over to her. He stood her up and turned her from side to side, getting a good look to see if she had gotten hurt.

"Dad." Jasmine said. "Dad... DAD!"

He stopped fussing and looked at her. She smiled slightly. "Dad, I'm fine. I didn't get physically ambushed."

Sophia chuckled a little. "She got ambushed by someone in a conversation. He wanted to ask for her help with.."

She looked at Jasmine, wondering if she should continue with what she was saying.  Their father looked at the both of them, before figuring out on his own what the context was.

"Who was it?" He asked. "Who was the person who approached you?"

"Dad... It's fine." Jasmine replied

"No, it isn't." He said. "How did he even find out about your past?"

"Research?" Jasmine said. "The man is an award-winning director after all. I'm sure he has his ways."

"In any case, it was wrong of him to approach you." He said. "All of our names were kept off the file for a reason. And it's this."

"I'm pretty sure your boss sold you out." Sophia said.  
"Who? Bradley?" Jasmine asked.  
"Yeah. You said they are best buds right. I am kinda sure he spilled the beans." Sophia replied.

He turned from Sophia back to Jasmine. "That's it. You're quitting your job tomorrow."

"Dad!" Jasmine said. "That's kinda a drastic move, isn't it?"

"Well, what choice do we have?" He said.

Just then, his cellphone rang. He put up his finger to show the girls that he wasn't done with the conversation yet. He walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up his phone.

"Hello? Yes. This is Clark Gregg."

Jasmine turned to Sophia and narrowed her eyes. "You had to tell him, didn't you?"

Sophia shrugged. "It's best that he knows now. Remember 5th grade when you kept quiet about the boy who bullied you?"

Jasmine laughed a little. "Yeah. He found out 3 days later and had the boy transferred to another school."

"So you know how dad is." Sophia said. "He may just be an agent under Homeland Security but his best friend is the director of National Intelligence." Sophia said.

Jasmine sighed and took a sip of her apple juice. Sophia leaned in close to her sister. "Want Dad to take away all his awards?"

She turned to look at Sophia. "No! I don't want that on my conscience."

"So you're just going to let him go?" Sophia asked.  
"Well... Technically he didn't hurt me." Jasmine replied.  
"Not physically but you were freezing up on me, Jas." Sophia said.

"I.. I.." Jasmine stopped herself from saying 'I' again and grabbed her bottle of apple juice with her as she turned towards the glass door to the back patio. She walked over and opened the glass door, stepping out into the cool evening air.

Sophia watched her just as their father ended his call.

"What happened?" He asked.  
"I think I might have struck a nerve..." Sophia replied.

Clark crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Explain."

"I made her feel like she needs protecting." Sophia said. She looked at her father. "I can't help it, dad. After what we went through... I can't stop wanting to protect her."

Clark sighed. "I know... I can't help it too."

He lightly touched Sophia's arm. "Come on. Let's go cheer her up."

* * *

Jasmine sat on the pool chair, letting her surroundings calm her mind.  It's been 25 years and she has tried to put things behind her but whenever someone mentions those 4 words, she always felt like she was going to die.  She not only had that issue to deal with but also the over-protectiveness of her sister and father.  Yes, it was care and concern but to her, it felt like they could never stop seeing her as a helpless little girl.

She growled in frustration, closed her eyes and threw herself back against the pool chair.

"That's not a good sign."

Jasmine opened her eyes to see Clark and Sophia around her.  He sat down next to her with a plate in his hands while Sophia moved Jasmine's legs a little to make room for her butt.

"So... We figured we owe you an apology." Sophia said.  
"We might have overreacted a little." Clark said.

Jasmine sat up and looked at her family. "Guys..."

"No, no." Sophia said. "We never quite stopped with the protecting thing and we promise that we're going to try to fix that."

Clark nodded. "I'm not going to do anything to that director but I can't not be keeping tabs on him."

Jasmine looked at the two of them and realized that the problem wasn't them.  It was herself.  She had a perfect family.  One that cared for her and loved her as much as she did them.  So what if they are a little overprotective?  They are just looking out for her.  The normalcy she wanted for herself was never present because she didn't have a normal life.  Heck.  She didn't even have a normal childhood.  She had to be protected because that's just how it was.  It may have been tough for her to accept it but she should have thought about how tough it was on Sophia and Clark.

"So.. Dad made brownies and I drew those little smiley faces on them with the icing to make this our 'will you forgive us' peace offering." Sophia said.

"You guys..." Jasmine said. "There is nothing to forgive. I'm the one that should be saying sorry."

Before either Sophia or Clark could react, Jasmine wrapped one arm around each of them in a hug.

"I love you guys." Jasmine said. "And I don't want you guys to stop being you."

Sophia and Clark both returned the hug before Jasmine let them go.  She reached for the brownie and took a bite.

"You know... Now that we're cool..." Sophia said. "We didn't actually mean what we say."

"Yeah... I'm still going to give that director a little surprise." Clark said.  
"Dad!" Jasmine exclaimed.

Sophia and Clark laughed.

"Alright, alright." Clark said. "He gets a free pass this time."

He took a slice of brownie and took a bite just as Sophia looked at Jasmine.

She mouthed. 'You sure you're good?'

Jasmine smiled and nodded. She reached over to give Sophia's hand a reassuring squeeze before launching into a conversation about the 5th grade incident.


	3. Bye, Bye Old Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An award-winning director is about to start on a project to coincide with the complete demolish of a once popular theme park on its 25th anniversary. The documentary he had planned to do was aimed to understand the tragedy that happened 25 years ago. But to fully embark on his mission, he requires the help of someone who wants to put the tragedy behind her.
> 
> Documenting is one thing but uncovering the dark secrets behind the tragedy is another. Will the truth eventually be revealed or will they stay hidden as the park gets demolished?

"Here's your iced chocolate!"

Jasmine smiled and thanked the barista as she took the cup from her hands.  She stuck the straw in and took a sip as she headed towards the doors of the cafe.  After yesterday, she figured she should stop trying to let her fear control her.  It was going to be quite a challenge but it's been 25 years and she had to eventually overcome it.

Her mind was clear and she nearly had a skip in her step as she walked down the road towards her office.  Just as she approached the building, she spotted Chris standing by the entrances. She wanted baby steps and not giant leaps.

Jasmine was just about to turn when the two of them locked gaze for a second, acknowledging one another's presence.

"Crap." Jasmine muttered.

As if on cue, Chris came walking out towards her just before she had enough time to turn and run.  Well, she could have ran for it but given her physique and his, he'd definitely catch up to her in no time.

"Hey." He said.

Jasmine merely gave him a small smile as she waited for him to continue with whatever he was planning to say.

"I'm glad I caught you." He said. "I was beginning to wonder if you came in early or had planned not to come in at all."

Jasmine looked at the ground and muttered. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Chris tried to suppress an amused smile as he pretended he hadn't heard her.  Jasmine cleared her throat and looked up. "If it is about what happened yesterday.. Just forget about it, 'kay?"

"I feel like I need to apologize about what happened yesterday." Chris said. "I didn't mean to offend you or make you uncomfortable."

He sighed. "Bradley told me you were the best person to talk to about it."

"So Bradley did sell me out." Jasmine said, under her breath.

"Well, not exactly." Chris said. "He did it because he felt bad for me... I wasn't getting anywhere with getting the right people to help with the documentary."

"Okay. I'll rephrase. Bradley sold me out because he felt bad for his buddy." Jasmine said.

Chris crinkled his nose. "When you say it like that, it does sound pretty bad. But I swear to you, I was only wondering if you could help reach out to the people you know who has some sort of history there."

Jasmine looked at him confused. "What?"

"Bradley told me you had a couple of sources.. So, I was hoping to reach them through you." Chris said.

"O-kay..." Jasmine said, cautiously. "That's all Bradley told you?"

Chris nodded. "I figured asking you this subtly is easier than coming straight out to say I need you to contact your friends."

Jasmine then realized that the words he used were merely just trying to make her feel important in the process.

"Anyway, I would like to formally apologize for the way I approached the subject yesterday." Chris said. "I really didn't mean to offend you."

Jasmine gave him a small smile. "It's fine. Don't sweat it."

As she turned to look away for a while, she spotted someone familiar walking in her direction. She quickly turned back to Chris. "Uh.. Okay. You're forgiven. I gotta go now."

Chris was confused at first but soon realized what made Jasmine suddenly so uptight. A guy around his height with black hair was walking their way and as soon as he laid eyes on Jasmine, it was a no-brainer that the two must know each other.

"Shit." Jasmine muttered as the guy now stood in front of them.

"Jasmine..." He said. "What a surprise."

She made an awkward laugh. "Ye-Yeah... Hey... What a surprise, Sebastian."

He looked at the drink in her hand. "Still into Ice Chocolate, huh?"

"Well, it has always been my favorite drink." Jasmine said.

She pretended to look at her watch before bracing herself to look at Sebastian. "Aw. Gee. Look at the time. I really have to go. Nice seeing you, Sebastian!"

Just as she was about to make a run for it, Sebastian lightly held her arm, which caused her to freeze up for a minute.  Seeing her obvious uncomfortable behavior around this guy, Chris had to do something.

He stepped in front of Jasmine, forcing Sebastian to remove his hand from Jasmine's arm.

Sebastian chuckled a little. "Who's this guy?"

Jasmine's frozen stance melted away as she looked up at Chris who was blocking her view of Sebastian.  She moved from behind Chris until just a quarter of her body was still shielded by him.

"Um... He's a.. He's a friend." Jasmine said.

Sebastian cocked an eyebrow. "A friend?"

He looked at Chris, who was looking sternly at him. "You must be more than a friend to be this protective of her."

Jasmine was about to say no when Chris answered on her behalf. "Yeah. So what if I am?"

Sebastian put up his hands and stepped back a little. "Oh, nothing man. I was just surprised Jasmine didn't introduce you."

"Maybe she didn't want to." Chris said. "It's not like she needs to report to you."

Sebastian nodded. "You're right. But Jas and I had a pretty long history. We're kinda like best friends."

Jasmine made a disgusted expression. "Ugh. No, Sebastian. We're not."

He looked at Jasmine. "You're still angry with me over that?"

"I wouldn't even bother wasting my time." Jasmine said. "I have better things to do than keep my blood pressure high. I'd like to live long, thank you very much."

Sebastian laughed. "There's the Jasmine I know and love."

Jasmine narrowed her eyes and contemplated her option.  On one hand, she could just shove him and run away but that would seem so juvenile.  On the other, she could throw her Ice Chocolate at him but that would mean she wasted a good cup of chilled cocoa.  As she weighed her options, she didn't notice Chris grab her hand until she heard him talk.

"Loved, Sebastian. It should be past tense." Chris said. "Come on Jas, let's go."

Before she could react, Chris walked off, pulling her with him.  She tried to catch up with his long strides and when she eventually did, they had turned the corner, away from Sebastian.  Jasmine took a couple of deep breaths from the somewhat exhausting few steps she took.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked, looking worriedly at her.

Jasmine put up her index finger, asking for a minute before thrusting her cup of Ice Chocolate into Chris' hand.  Once she was rid of the cup, she put her two hands on her upper thighs as she concentrated on catching her breath.

"I'm-I'm.. I seriously need to take up that gym offer Sophia talked about." Jasmine said to herself.

When she eventually regained her usual heart rate, she took her drink back from Chris. "Thanks."

Chris chuckled. "You're welcome."

"I meant for holding my drink." Jasmine said. "And helping me with Sebastian there..."

He smiled. "I know."

"That whole heroic thing you did back there was really just to help me out." Jasmine said. "I am not a damsel in distress."

Chris laughed. "I'm sure you're not."

"And it still doesn't change my mind about the documentary." She said, taking a sip of her drink.

He nodded. "I know. It wasn't my intention to use that to force you into helping either."

She nodded and looking at Chris, she couldn't help but feel indebted to him.  If they had stayed there longer, she would have come up with some absurd way of getting away from Sebastian that might either get herself injured or wasting a cup of good cocoa.

She sighed and muttered. "I can't believe I'm actually going to say this..."

Chris looked at her, wondering what she was going to say.

"On second thought... I will think about your request." Jasmine said. "But no promises, okay?"

Chris smiled, getting excited with this turn of events. "Yeah, yeah. Totally understand."

"I'll let you know my final decision soon." Jasmine said.

Chris nodded. "Sure!"

Jasmine merely nodded and walked back around the corner towards her office building.  As she walked closer towards the building, she couldn't help but smile to herself.  What Chris did back there was really hot - and she wasn't one to use that word freely.  But something about him defending her was seriously swoon-   
worthy.  Just as she allowed herself to think fluffy thoughts about Chris, the memories of her past with Sebastian came flying back to her, casting all happy thoughts of Chris out the window.

She closed her eyes and focused on a happy memory of her sister and father.  She took a deep breath before pushing the doors into the building.

This was it. No more hiding from her fear. She was going to face them head on.

Her decision was made.

She's going back to Fun Kingdom.

 


	4. And So It Begins...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An award-winning director is about to start on a project to coincide with the complete demolish of a once popular theme park on its 25th anniversary. The documentary he had planned to do was aimed to understand the tragedy that happened 25 years ago. But to fully embark on his mission, he requires the help of someone who wants to put the tragedy behind her.
> 
> Documenting is one thing but uncovering the dark secrets behind the tragedy is another. Will the truth eventually be revealed or will they stay hidden as the park gets demolished?

He walked into his apartment and flipped the switch, waiting for the lights to come on.  Instead of the apartment lighting up and giving him clear vision, nothing happened.

"Damn it." He cursed. "I could have sworn the bills were paid."

"Oh - they were."

Every nerve in his body froze as he heard the voice come from the direction of the couch to his right.

"But as you know..." The voice said. "I prefer the dark."

"W-What are you doing here?" He asked. "I thought I was no longer of any use."

"Well, yes and no."

Through his new found adjustment to the darkness that surrounded him, he could somewhat see a figure standing up from his couch.

"A new arrangement has been made."

He closed his eyes as he felt the figure walk towards him.  He squeezed his eyes tighter, refusing to open them otherwise as he felt hot breath by his ear. "You are to ensure you keep your existence around her because your life depends on it."

Just as he was about to reply, the television set suddenly came on; frightening him into opening his eyes.  The room was flooded in light, a big difference to the pitch black he was standing in not more than a few seconds ago.  He blinked a couple of times, adjusting to the light as he made his way over to the couch.  He sank into the seat and ran his fingers through his hair.

He thought he was done with her.

But according to new instructions that he just got, he was far from finished.

* * *

"NO!"

Clark looked at Jasmine, anger and concern written all over his face. "My final answer is no. You're not doing it. End of story."

"Dad..." Jasmine said.  
"Did this guy corner you into feeling like you owe him something?" Clark asked.

"No.. I just-"

Clark lifted up one hand to cut Jasmine off. "Then you're not doing it."

Jasmine looked at Sophia and gestured to her for some help.

Sophia sighed. "Dad, maybe you're overreacting here."

"Overreacting?" Clark said. "Overreacting is if I send her away to Alaska to stay! My disapproval is not overreacting."

"But dad, he doesn't know about my past. Bradley didn't tell him anything about it. I'm just acting as a consultant.. Of sorts." Jasmine said.  
"That doesn't make any difference, Jas." Clark said.

He looked at her. "Whether it's knowing your past or not, I hate the idea of you going back to that place."

"Dad..." Jasmine said. "I can't run from my past and I don't want to run anymore. I have to face my fears someday, right? So why not now?"

Clark sighed, unsure of what else to say to change his daughter's mind.  Jasmine reached over to touch his hand. "I know you're worried about me but I have to do this - I want to do this."

Sophia put her hand on Clark's shoulder. "And I'll look out for her."

"How are you going to do that?" Clark asked.

"Well, I'll just tell him that he buys one and he gets another one free." Sophia replied. "Besides, I'm a cop. Someone like me needs to be around his camera crew to avoid damage to public property."

She winked at Jasmine who chuckled.  Clark looked at his two girls and sighed, knowing somehow he can't keep them sheltered forever.

"Fine." Clark said. "You can help him with this documentary."

Jasmine and Sophia both smiled.

"But! If there is any sign of distress from either of you, you are to get out of there and stop all communications with this director." Clark gave them a stern look. "Understood?"

Sophia and Jasmine both did a salute. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

"Here's your chicken fajitas."

Chris smiled to the waiter. "Thanks."

As he placed the chicken onto his tortilla to begin wrapping, a hand reached over and took the piece of chicken away.

"Thanks! I was starving!"

Chris sat back into his chair, annoyed with the sudden loss of his chicken and to acknowledge his new dining partner.

"Anna..." He said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm here to report my findings, boss." Anna said.  
"Couldn't it wait till I get back to the office?" Chris asked.

"That would mean I'd miss a free meal." Anna replied. "So, no. It's not waiting material."

Chris sighed as he pushed the dish over to Anna before signaling to the waiter to bring him another order of the same dish.

Anna smiled and lightly punched his arm. "Thanks boss!"

She was just about to begin when she felt Chris continually look at her. "Oh, right."

Anna reached into her satchel and pulled out a file before passing it to Chris. "So, this was all I could find on Fun Kingdom."

Chris opened the file and flipped through the pages. "Anna, there's less than 10 pages here."

"And that's all you're getting." Anna said.  
"What do you mean?" Chris asked.

"What you're holding are the only available information regarding Fun Kingdom." Anna replied. "From what I'm reading in the forums, everything else is classified."

"Classified?" Chris said.  
"Confidential. Sealed by the Government." Anna said.  
"Have you tried getting one of your contacts to help us with this?" Chris asked.

Anna put her neatly wrapped tortilla down on her plate. "Are you seriously doubting my research capabilities, Evans? Of course I tried. Everyone of them told me the same thing - Not this, Kendrick. It's Classified."

She bit into her tortilla. "Maybe your new source would be of more help. You said she knows people who can help us with the documentary?"

"Yeah." Chris said.

"So that's settled then. We've got her to help us." Anna said. "Problem solved!"

"One source is hardly enough." Chris said. "You know that."

Anna sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll try and push my sources to help."

"And if I succeed, you're giving me an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii."

Chris gave his assistant a small smile as partial agreement, just as his newly-made order arrived.


	5. Morning Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An award-winning director is about to start on a project to coincide with the complete demolish of a once popular theme park on its 25th anniversary. The documentary he had planned to do was aimed to understand the tragedy that happened 25 years ago. But to fully embark on his mission, he requires the help of someone who wants to put the tragedy behind her.
> 
> Documenting is one thing but uncovering the dark secrets behind the tragedy is another. Will the truth eventually be revealed or will they stay hidden as the park gets demolished?

Jasmine woke up the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee and strangely, pancakes. She frowned a little as she looked at the digital clock by her bedside.

**7:00AM**

Okay, so it is 7am but it isn't a weekend. Her dad rarely made elaborate breakfast unless it was a Saturday or a Sunday. Feeling rather wary, she got out of bed and padded downstairs to the kitchen.

Standing by the stove, flipping pancakes was none other than her dad. She looked at sister, who was sitting at the breakfast bar awkwardly sipping her cup of coffee.

Jasmine walked over to her sister and whispered. "What's going on?"

Before she could reply, Sophia's partner at work came in from the dining room.

"All's set, Agent Gregg."

Sensing a new presence in the kitchen, he turned and smiled. "Morning Jasmine."

She smiled back awkwardly. "Morning Jesse..."

Clark switched off the gas at the stove and turned around to pass the plate of pancakes to Jesse. "Do you mind putting this on the table as well?"

"Yes, sure." Jesse said as he hurriedly took the plate from Clark's hands.

As Clark worked on getting his apron off, Jasmine crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What's this, dad?"

"What? I'm making breakfast." Clark said.  
"You only do that on weekends." Jasmine said.  
"Today's exceptional." Clark said.

He looked at Sophia for a bit before turning to get some juice from the fridge.

Jasmine nudged Sophia. "What did you do?"

Sophia sighed as she placed her cup back on the bar. "He found out about Jesse and me."

"I told you he'd find out sooner or later." Jasmine said.  
"How was I to know he'd meet Jesse outside?!" Sophia hissed.

Jasmine's eyes widened. "What?! How?"

"By getting the paper in the morning." Clark said. "And I found Detective Soffer waiting in his car - who stepped out of his car to introduce himself as Sophia's partner and boyfriend."

Jasmine covered her mouth, stifling a laugh at the funny way Sophia's secret spilled. Sophia glared at her and Jasmine hurriedly tried to put in a good word for her.

"Dad.. Jesse's a good guy." Jasmine said.  
"Yes, until he breaks her heart." Clark said.

He turned to look at Jasmine. "Wait, how do you know if he's a good guy?"

Sophia looked at Jasmine and shook her head, signalling for her to not say anything.

"I met him a couple of times?" Jasmine said.

Sophia covered her face with her palm.

Clark's eyebrows raised. "Huh. So, your sister has met this guy a couple of times but this is the first time your father's learning about this?"

"Dad - I can explain." Sophia said. "I-"

"She had to keep it a secret because of me, sir."

Everyone looked at Jesse, who re-entered the kitchen. Clark folded his arms in front of his chest, waiting for Jesse to go on.

"I told Sophia to keep it from you first because I didn't want to push her into meeting the parents just yet." Jesse said. "My parents haven't met her either."

Sophia gave Jesse a small smile. Clark looked at the two of them and sighed. "Oh, alright. I'll give you two my blessing."

He looked at Jesse. "But if you break her heart, I'll make your life a living hell."

Jesse nodded. "Yes, sir. I do not doubt that."

"Alright. Let's have breakfast." Clark said, as he led the way to the dining room.

Just as Jasmine followed after, she heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" She yelled to her father.

She made her way over to the front door and opened it to find Chris standing there.

"Chris?"

"Morning Jasmine."

She looked at him confused. "Uh.. What are you doing here? Wait-no. How did you know where I live?"

As Chris was about to answer her, she raised her hand. "Wait-don't tell me. I'll guess. Bradley told you, didn't he?"

Chris gave her a sheepish smile. "Yeah, he did."

"I swear-Anyway, what are you doing here?" She asked. "I thought we'd be meeting at your office?"

"Well, I wanted to personally thank you for helping me with this so I wanted to bring you out for some breakfast." He replied.

"Oh... I'd love to but I've actually got breakfast here." Jasmine said.

"Who's that, Jas?"

Before she even had time to react, Clark came up behind her. "You must be Chris Evans."

Chris looked a little stunned. "Y-Yes, sir."

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Clark asked.

"Uh, no sir." Chris replied. "I had just asked if Jasmine would like to get some with me."

"We have plenty of pancakes to go around here." Clark said. "Why don't you join us?"

Jasmine looked at Chris and mouthed the words 'Say no'. Chris tried to decipher what she was saying but as if her father was able to see, Clark stepped in front of Jasmine. She tried again to mouth the words but Clark blocked her from his view.

"So?" Clark said

Before Chris could reply, Jasmine pushed pass her dad. "Uh, you know what? I love you, dad but I feel like having an omelet today. I'm going to go with Chris to get that and I'll see you tonight!"

She gave her dad a quick peck on the cheek before pushing Chris off her front porch. She had to do this in a record time to prevent her father from attempting to stop them.

"Just keep walking to your car." Jasmine said.

Chris didn't bother asking any questions as they hurriedly made their way towards his car. Once inside, Chris started up the car and drove off, not before Jasmine gave her father a quick wave.

They drove until they were a safe distance away from Jasmine's home before Chris pulled over.

"Okay, I didn't want to ask but what was that?" Chris asked.  
"That - was me saving your ass." Jasmine replied.  
"What do you mean?" Chris said.

Jasmine was about to tell him the real reason why when she remembered that she couldn't. Telling him the truth would reveal everything about her and she simply can't risk any of that coming out.

"My dad hates documentary makers." Jasmine lied. "Actually, all sorts of documentaries in general!"

Well, her father did indeed find documentaries a bore so she technically wasn't lying.

"He would have insulted your craft if you agreed to sit and have breakfast with him." Jasmine said. "Besides.. It would be weird too since I'm not romantically linked with you and you coming into my home would be really awkward."

Chris watched her rattle on, amused and feeling slightly affectionate towards her. Realizing she was going way off-track, Jasmine stopped herself.

"Anyway. Bottom line is, my dad's a documentary hater." Jasmine said.

Chris laughed. "Yup. I think I've got it."

Jasmine felt her cheeks heat up as she hurriedly changed the subject.

"So? Can we go for my omelet now?" Jasmine asked.  
"Sure but.. Do you really want everyone to know how much you love Frozen?" Chris asked.

Jasmine looked at her shirt and realized that she was still in her Frozen fan pajamas. She had completely forgotten to change out. She squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment as Chris chuckled. Jasmine only opened her eyes a few seconds later when she felt something land on her lap.

"You're in luck." Chris said. "I always keep a spare hoodie in the back just in case."

She looked at his hoodie and it said 'Team Docu-Nerds'.

"Team Docu-Nerds?" Jasmine said, looking at Chris in a judgmental way.

"It's something we put on when we have our bowling tournaments with the other directors from the different genres." Chris said.

Jasmine nodded slowly as she put the hoodie on. Almost instantly, the smell of Chris' soap hit her and she couldn't help but feel her face turn red. It had been a pretty long time since she had arrived at this   
level of intimacy with another guy. And, to make matters worse, she barely knew the guy for a week!

Jasmine shook her head slightly. She needed to not complicate things. He's just being nice, that's all.

"I think it's a little big for me." Jasmine said.

Chris looked at her. "Really? I actually think it looks good on you."

Jasmine blinked, feeling her brain short-circuit for a bit. Chris chuckled and started up the car. "Alright, let's get you some omelet."

As they drove towards the location for their breakfast, she felt her heart racing. She was starting to like Chris and not in a platonic way.

Great.


End file.
